Commission to Consider Appellate Court Appointment

Public reports are available here. 

SAN FRANCISCO—The Commission on Judicial Appointments will hold a public hearing on Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. to consider Governor Gavin Newsom's appointment of Judge Thomas Delaney as Associate Justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three (Santa Ana).

The hearing will take place in the Supreme Court Courtroom, 350 McAllister Street, 4th Floor, in San Francisco. It will be webcast live on the California Courts Newsroom.

The Commission members are:

•  Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye (Chair)
•  Attorney General Rob Bonta
•  Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez

Seating in the courtroom will be limited. Any mask requirements that may be specified by state and local health directives in effect at the time of the hearing will be enforced. 

The state Constitution specifies that a gubernatorial nomination or appointment to the Supreme Court or a Court of Appeal is “effective when confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.”

The commission consists of the chief justice of California, the attorney general of California, and the presiding justice of the Court of Appeal of the affected district or, if there are two or more presiding justices, the one who has presided longest or, for a nomination or appointment to the Supreme Court, the presiding justice who has presided the longest on any Court of Appeal.

Appointee Biography

Judge Thomas Delaney would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice David Thompson. He has served as an Orange County Superior Court judge since 2014. Judge Delaney was a partner at Sedgwick LLP from 2002 to 2014. He was an associate at Sedgwick Detert Moran and Arnold LLP from 1995 to 2001 and at Bodkin McCarthy Sargent and Smith from 1992 to 1995. Judge Delaney earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School. 

Testimony and Comment

Persons who wish to testify or comment on the appointment must submit their information for receipt by the commission no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 4. Anyone wishing to testify before the commission must state that request in writing and include a summary of the facts on which any testimony or opinion will be based.

Submissions via email to coja@jud.ca.gov are strongly encouraged. Hard copies are not required.

If you would like to mail your request, you may also reach the commission at:

Commission on Judicial Appointments
c/o Chief Justice of California
Supreme Court of California
350 McAllister Street
San Francisco, California 94102
Attention: Secretary to the Commission

Guidelines for the Commission on Judicial Appointments are published in the appendix to the California Rules of Court and are posted on the California Courts website.